When She Dreams
by AveraIllisa
Summary: Even though something seems perfect, it hardly ever is - a lesson Ellen learnt the hard way when she emerged from a fantasy realm she never knew existed. Purely cannon.


Shots rang out in the darkness of the night as the hunter smashed his finger against the trigger of his rifle, sending several well-aimed bullets to penetrate the head of the mutilated girl before them. With a strangled cry the girl was blown back, tumbling back down the path and leaving a dark trail of blood and gore soaking into the dirt. Empty eye sockets observed the pair standing before her – a middle-aged man with trembling fingers that held aloft a long, large gun, and his small preteen daughter that was clinging onto his arm and doing her best to suppress a smirk that threatened to shine through. Ellen watched the life slowly fade from her own rotting body and allowed herself a small, hidden smile of victory before replacing it with fear and relief. She clutched tightly at her 'father's' arm and in return he stroked her braided blonde hair.

"It's fine, Viola; you're safe," the hunter murmured, enveloping his shivering daughter in a warm embrace. Ellen felt content spreading across her veins at the small action of familial love – something she never once received. She took her father's hands and walked slowly down the road, not sparing Viola another glance as she slowly bled to death. After a few minutes of trotting down the road, a cabin was seen sitting at the fringe of the woods, a warm light emitting from the interior. Ellen smiled at the comforting sight as her father set to work and unlocking the door and ushering her rain-soaked form through.

"You can go to your room, Viola; I trust you need some time to…recover from that ghastly sight," the hunter suggested, giving her a light push in the direction of her bedroom. Smiling lightly, Ellen obeyed and pushed open the door, stepping into the darkness beyond. Fumbling about, the witch managed to locate the cord and yanked firmly on it, watching the single light bulb that dangled from the ceiling wink back to life and bathe the room in its small glow. A small worn bed sat tucked at the corner, so inviting after such a traumatizing event that Ellen could not help herself from flopping onto the cushioned top and letting a satisfied sigh escape her. Everything she yearned for was in her possession – nothing could possibly make her happier than that notion.

But then, something dark probed the innards of her mind, shaking her awake from her half-slumbering state. A single, dark thought that had wormed its way into her head and refused to leave no matter what she did. Fear began to creep into her heart, making it pound loud enough to be heard over the heavy breathing. The world she was in began to distort into terrifying alternate realities, stretching into horrifying shapes and objects. It was as if the universe had grown unstable and the very wall of reality began to slowly crumble. Ellen cowered in the corner, lifting the sheets up to her chin and yelping when the blankets faded away. Her world was beginning to fade – all because of one, terrifying sentence:

_This isn't real._

Ellen jolted awake, breathing hard as she fought to take in her surroundings. She was in her room – her old room. The room she had occupied in the mansion she had fled from. How had she gotten here? Where was her 'father'? Her thoughts had gotten significantly jumbled and she had to shut her eyes to untangle the mess she had made of her mind.

On shaky legs, the witch slid out of her bed and got to her feet, only getting a few steps before pain flared up in her lower torso area and she tumbled to the ground, gasping for air as she struggled to clamber to her feet. Her throat felt hoarse and dry as she yelled: "D-daddy? D-daddy….help m-me, p-p-please…."

Her thin voice echoed throughout her cavernous room but she received no reply from the middle-aged hunter. As she pitifully crawled about the room, she noticed a wheelchair sitting against the wall and hauled herself into it, sighing in comfort as she seated herself onto it. With practiced moves, she guided her wheelchair towards the door but her reflection in the mirror by the wall caught her attention. Eyes widened when she realized the purple haired, sickly girl staring back at her from the glass and her complexion paled further. Hands probed her face and poked at her skin as the horrid truth began to sink in.

"No…no! This can't be happening….I switched bodies with Viola! I did! How can I…? How can I still be….me?" Ellen murmured in a wavering voice, eyes moistening with suppressed tears. Her mind still felt disorganized but finally, a small pinprick of light shone through the muddled thoughts and sent fear coursing throughout her weak bones. The truth, so horrid that she had blocked it from her mind suddenly returned and sent a scream to ripple throughout the house. She remembered now. _She remembered. _

The demon cat hadn't given her a spell to switch bodies because that was beyond his power, but instead he blessed her with eternal sleep and a dream materialized in her mind – a dream of a body-switching spell and a girl who had everything she wished for. All of that was a dream – fake; artificial. The cold truth had managed to seep into her dreaming state and shattered her idea of a perfect world, jolting her awake and breaking apart the spell. Her blood froze in her veins as the memory resurfaced.

"_Ellen." _

The voice jerked her out of her reverie and she turned to the mirror, only to see Viola standing behind her in the pale reflection. Shocked, the girl turned her head but saw no one. Viola only existed in the mirror – only ever truly existed in her mind. Ellen hastily approached the mirror and pressed her hands to the glass, watching as Viola smirked and giggled behind the cold wall.

"V-Viola?" Ellen whispered, voice cracking.

"_Hello, Ellen. So you finally realized the truth – the truth that I never existed and never will. That your plans had just been a sick desire that surfaced in your dreams. That you will never feel the warmth of family – ever." _Viola smiled, satisfied with the reactions of sadness and fear that displayed blatantly from the other girl's face. _"I represented the girl you yearned to be – pretty, popular, and most of all – a girl with a family. But Ellen…your soul reeks of manipulation and maliciousness. You can never be me – but on the bright side…"_

Viola approached her side of the mirror, pressing her palm against the area where Ellen had hers. The look in her emerald eyes were almost pitying as she whispered her final words.

"…_.I can never be you." _


End file.
